Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
What is Pulsatilla anyways?
Pulsatilla, also known as pasqueflower or windflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the Ranunculaceae family. These plants are native to meadows and prairies in North America, Europe, and Asia. Pulsatilla species are perennial herbs with finely divided leaves and bell-shaped flowers that range in color from purple to white, depending on the species.
Pulsatilla has a long history of medicinal use, particularly in traditional herbal medicine. It has been used to treat various ailments, including respiratory conditions like coughs and bronchitis, menstrual disorders, and skin conditions. Additionally, pulsatilla has been used to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and digestive issues.read more
The painful and inflamed breast. The chills. The fever.
I have had full blow mastitis 3 times now! I had it both after the first few days after childbirth and now today…
What causes mastitis?
Mastitis is usually caused by a clogged milk duct that isn’t draining properly. Mastitis can come when you are not resting enough or drinking enough water – Hello, Holidays!
This time it developed from a milk bleb – a clog right on the nipple. I noticed a slightly painful white dot on my nipple about 2 weeks ago, but I thought it honestly went away… Until last night.
Last night when I went to bed, I noticed my breast was tender. I tried to compress my breast to get any milk flowing, didn’t make much progress so I just went to sleep. I had trouble getting comfortable because it was tender.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping and finally got up at 3 am. I was feeling light-headed walking to the bathroom and almost passed out when I was trying to put in my contacts. I had to wake my husband so he could help me get some meds and vitamins, plus see what my temperature was.
We have a forehead scanning thermometer and it read 102.0 and 105.0… who knows.
I had a fever!
I couldn’t sit up in bed without getting light-headed. It was already serious.
I immediately took 2 Tylenol gel caps (which I NEVER do!), but I kept thinking… If I can’t take care of myself, who is going to take care of my babies?
I also took garlic tablets, vitamin C, and lecithin (a fat emulsifier to help break up any fat in the clog). The vitamins are immune boosters and should help fight off any infection.
Then I nursed, expressed milk, and nursed some more.
I stayed in bed until 9:30, then felt like I was at least well enough to come downstairs.
I fixed myself a large glass of echinacea tea, also full of antioxidants and immune boosting properties. I also took probiotics and cod liver oil.
I continued taking the vitamins and nursed more often to help keep the milk moving and clear any infection.
The Keys to Treating Mastitis:
1) Catch it early!
Mastitis is an infection that can get out of control quickly. As soon as you notice a clog, be proactive about trying to get it cleared before it escalates into Mastitis.
2) Take your vitamins!
Focus on vitamins to strengthen your immune system. I took garlic, echinacea, and vitamin C. These will help you fight off the infection – or prevent one from happening if you catch it early.
3) Use hot compresses.
Hot compresses open up the ducts and pores on your breast and help you clear the clog and drain the breast more effectively. You can even take a hot shower and use the warm water to help while massaging the clog.
4) Nurse, Nurse, Nurse
Keep that milk flowing! Babies are the most effective at draining the breast. You can also use a pump to help get any extra milk out between feedings. Also, when you nurse, remember to change the baby’s position each time (or even during the feeding). I always found that nursing while hovering over the baby laying on a bed was the fastest way to clear a clog (looks funny though!).
5) Rest
Mastitis usually happens because you aren’t resting enough. You need to take a break and stay at home while you heal. Also drink plenty of water and recuperate.
I hope you never have to deal with mastitis. It is not fun to have to deal with. Thankfully with these tips, you should be able to clear it up quickly and be back to normal.
If you don’t find relief in a few hours, you may need to call your doctor. read more
There are plenty of amoral things that become idols in our lives. Amoral = neutral (Not Bad or Good). Amoral things that can turn into idols could be your kids, your hobbies, your spouse, your status, your job, or even how you use your spare time and money.
Mark Driscoll states that “Idolatry is often a good thing that becomes a god thing and one of the surest ways to find your idol is to follow your money. Jesus, a master of word play, irony, and satire, uses humor to speak truth to the rich ruler by showing him two ways to find idols: follow the money and figure out what’s not funny to you.”
If you get really upset about the idea that someone views health or diet differently than you… It may be an idol.
If you can’t laugh about your exercise program or diet plan… It may be an idol.
Idols Don’t Start out as Bad Things
Deciding to make changes in your life for the goal of better health is a good decision. However, when that goal consumes your attention, your peace of mind, your fiances, or your available time – it becomes an idol.
Focus isn’t a bad thing either, it is how great things are achieved. To lose weight, you will require more focus and shifting of priorities for a season to reach your weight loss goals. However, when your life becomes consumed by your goals… you may need to re-evaluate your decisions.
If you are scared to eat something because you think you will get sick or develop cancer immediately from it… If you stay awake at night because you feel guilty about not being as healthy as you would like to be… If you argue with people who eat or live differently than you…. If you feel superior to someone else based on your healthy life style vs theirs… These are not good signs.
Peach Crisp
The Bad Part about Putting Health before God
The definition of a healthy lifestyle or diet changes as fast as the wind. If you put all your ideals and life into striving for a healthy lifestyle, a new study will come out tomorrow and debunk all the facts you were holding onto as true.
In the 80’s, butter was bad… now we know that Butter is great for you! Especially butter from pastured cows. All those people that were clinging to a low fat diet for health… their foundation was ripped from underneath them.
If you build your foundation on anything other than God, you are going to crumble. If you build a foundation on beauty or wealth…. those things will pass.
After working in a nursing home for several years, I also know that as we age our health will pass as well. Many of my patients kept telling me just to not get old. Our bodies are broken from the fall of man and continue to break down as we age – it is unavoidable. Everyone dies some day no matter how much they exercised or how many green smoothies they drank. We obviously want the journey to be filled with more healthy days and I believe a whole foods diet will benefit everyone… just don’t think eating a certain way will prevent you from hurting or death (Hebrews 9:27).
I believe that what you put in your body does affect your health.
But…. this should not stop you from putting God first.
If God asked you to change your healthy lifestyle for some reason, are you prepared to follow that command? You may be asked over to dinner and they are serving pizza. You can always eat before. In our culture community is built around sharing a meal, you may need to eat with them and enjoy it. If health is your idol, it could prevent you from making allowances when dealing with other people.
You have a friend who made a special dinner for you and you know she cooked it with canned cream of chicken soup (Gasp!). Know that God is bigger than MSG and he can protect your body. You can eat it and detox on your own time. Know that I’m not advocating eating MSG… I’m just saying don’t lose sleep over it.
There may be periods in your life where something needs to take priority over your ideal eating and health pursuits. My sister has had to stay with her kids in the hospital several weeks at a time, and unable to be at home to cook. She was able to do the best she can, but understood when priorities need to be altered. Maybe financially, God may call you to give more, and to save money you may need to buy less organic produce than you prefer.
I think about Paul, when asked the question about eating meat that was offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8), answered don’t do anything that will cause a brother to stumble. He basically said that sometimes, you need to put other’s first and your own beliefs aside for the benefit of others. (Paul knew that eating the meat wasn’t immoral, but weaker Christians saw this as a problem. Paul decided it was best to avoid the meat offered to idols as to not offend the weaker believers.) You also need to offer grace to others and accept them where they are in their journey. You can turn off many friends quickly by trying to convert people who are not ready to hear about your health decisions.
I used to have a much harder time with striving for health being my god. When I first starting eating whole foods, I used to think that eating things that were not “natural” would tarnish my body… like make me dirty some how. I had elevated “natural” foods to a “holy” statue. This was a god.
I now realize that healthy foods are a good thing and just that. My body works better when I eat healthy foods that nourish it. They can help me fight off infections, keep my body stronger and get sick less, but they are not going to save me from sickness or even cancer.
My point is that God should be first. His commands should be followed without our hesitation.
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Sometimes you want all the flavors of pizza night, but you are pressed for time and you really don’t want all the carbs in a traditional pizza. Here is a super easy quick low carb pizza idea you can enjoy!
In a Pinch Quick Pizza
Pizzas are an American staple. The most pizzas are ordered the night before Thanksgiving each year. Sometimes we want and easy, quick pizza fix. In a Pinch Quick Pizza is perfect for a quick lunch or even a heavier snack that will stay with you longer. You can easily just make it for one or make it for your family. I used Joseph Pita breads and lavash breads.read more
This is an easy and simple low carb crockpot creamy chicken mushroom casserole that is sure to please even your non low carb family members!
Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Mushroom Casserole
This is a total comfort food post here… I made this dish trying to recreate a dish I used to make for my husband that used cream of soup yuckiness. I was so excited with how yummy and wonderful this casserole came out using real ingredients to make the sauce. It was so easy to make to, because you use your slow cooker to do all the work.
This Creamy Chicken Mushroom Casserole is fairly low carb. I used Joseph’s pita bread for the topping. If you need to be gluten free, I would use gluten free bread crumbs.read more
Pooja’s daughter was having consistent skin rashes. After trying to eliminate various sources of irritants, she found that her daughter was reacting to the toxins in her clothes.
Pooja set out on a mission to create a designer clothing line for kids that was also
I am so excited to tell you all about The Braidin. When I first saw this product, I knew that so many parents out there would love to know about it.
This company was so nice to send me a product to test out and one to give away to one of my readers!
First let me tell you what it is. Have you ever been getting ready to leave and the baby spits up on you, or you drop some make up on your shirt?
What about your kids? When they are getting ready for school and drop some toothpaste on their shirt. UGH!
All these frustrations can be solved by the Braidin.
The Braidin has many uses and functions in today’s world. Wearing a Braidin can reduce a person’s dry cleaning expenses, how often one washes their clothes, the life of one’s clothes and preserve hand me downs. They are easy to put on (No buttons, No snap, No Velcro) you just place it over your shoulders and the shape and fabric hold it on place!
Can you actually reduce the clutter in your house in only 30 days? We set a goal and crafted a plan to get our clutter back under control and be Clutter Free in only 30 Days! Join us on our Clutter Free Adventure!
Angela of Grassfed Mama shares healthy tips for busy moms.
Is it possible to have a clutter free home as a busy mom?
As a busy mom, keeping your home clutter-free can feel like an overwhelming task. However, with a well-structured plan and some practical tips, you can conquer the clutter and create a peaceful and organized living space. In this blog post, we will provide you with a comprehensive 30-day plan to help you declutter your home, even with a busy schedule. From quick decluttering strategies to effective organization techniques, we’ve got you covered. Get ready to reclaim your space and enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free home, all while balancing the demands of motherhood.read more
